TRIGGER

Road test in Autocar this week of BMW X5 3.0 - says it is great on road except it struggles to overtake, rubbish off road, no boot space, expensive for what you get and options v.expensive. How many stars ? 5 out of 5 !!!!!!! Why ?

Pointless believing anything they say.

bros

I can't understand why anyone would buy an X5 other than for looks/new car on the block sydrome.

It's got the same engine as the 530, but it's slower, has much worse handling, is just as good off road (i.e. not at all!), and uses a good deal more fuel.

And I think it's really quite tacky looking, rather than the understated elegance of the 5-series touring.

Ah well, the vagarities of the car market

Bros

robski

Its for the posh kids school run.
Want a big 4x4, but a badge to go on the front.

robski

GaryC

The comfort of being higher up is worth a 10% premium. My wife has a 4x4, never takes it off-road, bought it to feel big and safe.

When I have driven it into work, it is far more relaxing to be higher up, as well as safer. Having driven an X5, I would pay the 10% premium over the 5 series touring, I thought it was superb and couldn't fault it.

Also don't forget the V8 laps the n'burgring quicker than a WRX

TRIGGER

So, a £45,000 BMW X5 laps the Nurburgring faster than a £21,500 Subaru - well done BMW, for more than twice the price it should (considering it isnt even an off roader anyway). But I bet I would be quicker in the WRX rather than the X5.

Fosters

the X5 le mans would beat an STi round nurburgring. it's a bit more expensive though

wilf

Er X5 lap quicker than WRX?
Quite frankly thats a lot of Cr*p. Check out EPR rating in Evo magazine with X5 it came last beaten everywhere by likes of Ford Puma.

My parents have an X5 which I have used so can comment on fairly knowledgeably. Whilst it would show a clean pair of heels to a Range Rover it is dynamically miles behind the likes of a scooby.

All that Nurburg nonsense was cooked up by none other than BMW themselves. Do you believe everything the manufacturers tell you?

GaryC

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by TRIGGER:
<B>So, a £45,000 BMW X5 laps the Nurburgring faster than a £21,500 Subaru - well done BMW, for more than twice the price it should (considering it isnt even an off roader anyway). But I bet I would be quicker in the WRX rather than the X5.[/quote]


.....Or put another way a 2.25 tonne 4x4/offroader was faster a 1.25 tonne performance saloon


<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by wilf:
<B>Er X5 lap quicker than WRX?
Quite frankly thats a lot of Cr*p. Check out EPR rating in Evo magazine with X5 it came last beaten everywhere by likes of Ford Puma.

My parents have an X5 which I have used so can comment on fairly knowledgeably. Whilst it would show a clean pair of heels to a Range Rover it is dynamically miles behind the likes of a scooby.

All that Nurburg nonsense was cooked up by none other than BMW themselves. Do you believe everything the manufacturers tell you?[/quote]

God forbid someone having a pop at a Subaru

The test was carried out by a German motoring magazine who printed a (long) list of the cars that it lapped quicker than BMW have since used the test as a publicity tool

And if the EPR rating is so good, we'd better all move to Renault Clio 172s! Do you think therefore a Clio172 will lap the 'ring faster than a WRX?


Jeez, you guys need to stick your heads out of the burrow sometimes and take the blinkers off. The X5 is hardly a rival for the Impreza is it? Try one for yourself and you might see the appeal of big comfortable 4x4s, and thus appreciate why there have been twice the number of X5s sold than WRXs this year

[This message has been edited by GaryC (edited 09 May 2001).]

wilf

Still very sceptical Gary I'm afraid.
I wasn't running down the X5 for a 4x4 its about the best you can buy and I can see reasons for owning one. What I cannot handle is the performance claims made about it.

Why did it perform so well at the Nurburg when it came last on the EVO handling circuit. Well drive one very quickly over tricky roads and you will soon see. It is slower and much more demanding to drive quickly than a scoob. A luxury car a may be but a performance saloon it aint. Forget the magazines that's my own impression based upon straight driving comparisons.

Hmmmm wonder how much the German mag got in advertising revenues and freebies on the back of that one then!?

As for the WRX vs 172 in Evo. Well not having driven a 172 (but was unimpressed with Rsi) I can't comment. But if it was as good as they reckon then I might prefer it over the scooby.

Anyone who isnt blind can see why the WRX hasn't sold well. Personally I wouldn't buy a MY01 unless it was a discounted import.